


Little Steps

by alepeglow, DMeryt



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Fluffy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Newt - Freeform, Sailor - Freeform, Shipwrecks, Sirens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:28:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29954097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alepeglow/pseuds/alepeglow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DMeryt/pseuds/DMeryt
Summary: Alexander always kept his promises but, that time, seemed like it was impossible.Alexander always believed that in little steps destiny was made.Well, he was right.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Kudos: 25





	Little Steps

Alexander should have listened to his own instincts when he noticed the gray clouds getting closer when the ship was still being loaded in the port.

If he had listened he wouldn’t be in the middle of that pandemonium of wind, screams, rain and angry sea.

Well, it wasn’t time for ‘if’s’. Not when he tried to control the wheel of the ship with water practically drowning him at each big wave.

He was shaking in his place with cold and… and a little fear too, even more when he remembered saying goodbye to his family before going on that trip. It was the end of the year, almost Christmas… he should be resting, but Jace called asking for him to substitute him, which would be a quick trip.

That didn’t look like a quick trip… and neither would end up well.

“Captain!” He looked to who called him, seeing Underhill stopped less than two feet from him, so soaked as him. “The ship’s hull punctured… we, we hit a submerged rock sir… the crew are in panic, the water won’t stop getting in.” Alexander tensed his jaw, turning back to his front, holding the wheel firmily. “What are the orders?”

“Take the boats, leave the ship!” Commanded, trying to control the route. “I can’t stop the ship, I’ll keep it still so you can leave.”

“And… and you s-sir?”

“Go, Underhill.” He ordered, not looking at him. “I’m the captain of this ship, it is my duty to keep the crew safe.”

The sailor even tried to say something, but the steel look of Captain Lightwood made him take a tottering step back… maybe by the violent moves on the ship, or by the consternation of his captain.

“Isabelle may forgive me.” Alec whispered, getting ready for one more big wave. For what he could see, he wouldn’t be back to supper.

  
  


**

Along his twenty four years of life Magnus learned to identify the gravity of the storms and that wasn’t one of the worst, however, wasn’t the calmer either. At another moment he wouldn't be close to the surface, preferring the comfort of his coral cave, but sometimes the storms were pretty and brought interesting things.

That time wasn’t different, far away he saw an enormous vessel of dark cask fighting to keep control in the revolt waters, others getting to smaller vibrant vessels… Magnus got tempted to go help, but they were humans...

Another thing he learned was that humans weren’t trustable, well… at least it’s what the stories told.

Stories, only stories. Thought, while saw one more man falling in the sea and Magnus finally embraced the desire of going help, forcing his tail to push him faster through the water.

The advantages of being a triton was that he could see in the dark, so it wasn’t hard to get to the last human that fell, Magnus had the work to avoid some giant squares of wood that float in the water, but in the end he managed to hold the human with his arms and pull him away from there. Magnus slapped himself mentally for a moment, noticing he could get more of the humans that float, but that was almost a kilometer from there.

  
  


**

  
  


Alec’s lungs seemed to burn while he choked provoking all the water in them. He curved to the side, trying to breath. Alec felt small slaps in his shoulder blades, almost relieving the process, almost.

“Spill all.” Magnus asked, worried that the human stopped breathing again. Not everyone was used to drinking sea water.

The human must have listened, since he made an effort to look and Magnus pretended not to see the scared eyes of the dark haired human to his tail before passing out again.

One hour later, Alexander started to wake up. He was by the beachside still je could feel it, only remained to know where he ended up at. He opened his eyes and sat calmly and then when he looked to his side he saw a triton looking at him with curiosity.

_ “A triton? How… What? How was it possible?”  _ Alec thought, looking to the triton with wild eyes, more exactly to the muscled scaled tail in golden tones that was in the shallow water, the scales bright like dark coins.

“Don’t be rude with who saved your life!” Magnus grunted watching, with relief, the human raised the eyes from his tail… not that Magnus didn’t feel proud of his shiny scales, but it was weird.

“S-Sorry?” Alexander hesiated, starting to be sure that the salt water of the sea messed with his head… sea… ship… “My crew!” Exclaimed starting to get in panic before feeling something in his stomach drop. “They…”

“They’re alive… at least I think so.” He shrugged, not liking to see the scared human. There were too many inside the orange things.”

“Boats.”

“Boats, things that got away from the ship that sank.

Alexander felt relieved with the information, Underhill obeyed him… that took him to the question of how he was alive. Obviously that weird… with fish tail, saved him to take him to… Alec looked around, an island?

“Who are you?”

“Magnus Bane.” The triton holds out a hand, letting Alec realise the rings of gold and other metals that adorned his fingers. “You?”

“Captain Lightwood… Alexander Lightwood…” Alec swallowed dry, feeling the heat of the man’s hand in his, noticing the amber light in the other’s eyes. “Are you real? Or am I just delusional?”

Of course I’m real!” Magnus answered offended, his tail smacking the shallow water in a sign of protest. “otherwise you’ll be dead now.”

“I’m sorry, I… is that I never thought the legends were real… you were supposed to be a story… mermaids really exist?”

“Yes, mermaids exist, but in the case, Captain Lightwood, I’m a triton.”

“Forgive me…” Alec apologized one more time, finally starting to calm down.

“Well… You’re different for a human.” Magnus commented, looking at the legs of the man with curiosity and looked at his own tail… hm, what if… “At the stories don't seem like you apologize a lot.”

Alexander couldn’t answer, because he kept enchanted by the fact of seeing a big golden tail raise out of water, shining like treasure, only to reflect a little more in the light sand before dividing and the scales… disappeared, giving space to a smooth skin with tan and well shaped muscles.

Leaving Magnus very naked too.

“What is Christmas?” Magnus asked as if that was nothing, even if he was curious about his own... legs. They were weird, but that left the human more comfortable.

“What?” Alexander swallowed hard, making an effort to deflect his eyes from the nudity of the asian man, even if his cheeks were hot.

“Christmas.” Magnus repeated, slower, fering he wouldn’t understand. “You kept repeating it while faint. That and something like Isabelle… mom and Max?”

Magnus saw the human pass through three processes of surprise.The first was jump in surprise, the second was him babbling about a promise of going back before the holiday and the last was an interrogation of how he could get out of that island.

By what he understood, Isabelle, Max and mom was the human’s family and Christmas was like an annual party that they had every year to his kind… Magnus liked parties and got interested by the way the human spooke amazed about it.

There was nothing to do with the hazel eyes of the man shining with that.

There was an easier way to leave the island without being with a raft, a thing that Magnus made clear that was dangerous and that wouldn’t save Alec one more time from drowning in case he suffered another accident.

The easier way? Magnus takes him through water. It was faster and Alec always could stay close to the surface to breath and they continued.

“Why are you helping me?” Alexander asked while they stopped to breath in the way. It wasn’t distrust, since in some way he trusted Magnus, even after two days… yes, two days.

“You said you made a promise to your family, you don’t look like someone that breaks promises. “Magnus said truly. “ANd beyond that… I never participated in Christmas, you made it look cool and shiny, in my house there’s nothing like it.” Said. “There’s parties, but… it’s different.”

“Different how?”

“Different like… family.”

Alexander realised two things when they got to Idris’s cost, the first thing was that there were people of the searching team through the whole beach, the second was that Magnus wasn’t behind him when he tumbled to the beach.

Alec tried to go back in water to look for him, when he managed to babble the man’s name… but arms involved him and when he raised his eyes. It wasn’t Magnus, it was Underhill.

**

“Dear, are you sure?” Maryse asked worried. “You should be resting!”

“Mom, it’s just a walk, I’ll be back before seven!” Said letting her kiss his face. “I promise!”

“Alright, alright…” Sighed, and stood quiet while watching her son leaving through the door.

There were only three days that he appeared on the beach. The searching teams had no idea how… making them believe in the possibility of him floating all the way and that, by a miracle, he didn’t die of hipotermia.

Miracle that he knew was the heat of Magnus' body. Yes, he believed in Magnus, knew that wasn’t a delirium… but… but why didn’t he stay with him?

Alexander kept his feet in the pier, his eyes focused on the sunset while trying to find an answer to that… until… Until he heard.

“Alexander.” Magnus greeted, watching the human turn, almost incredulous. Alec had his hazel eyes wide, seemed in a good way… but Magnus doubted because Alec made the same face when he saw the tail for the first time and Magnus was sure he was as or more tidy at the time as now, with the difference that now he was with both legs and human clothes. “Stop looking at me like that!”

“You’re here… you’re really here!” ALec exclaimed, laughing while getting closer, until he was close enough to hug the man of amber eyes.

Magnus froze in place when the human hugged him, but didn’t get away… it wasn’t bad, actually….

It was a good sensation.

“Of course I’m here, human.” Magnus said, not making any effort to get away. “We had a deal.

“Did we?”

“Yes” Magnus got away, watching a dark and rebel lock fall against the captain’s forehead. “I saved you…” He put away the lock. “... and you show me what Christmas is.”

Alexander couldn’t hold a smile, it was spontaneous.

“Christmas is tonight.” Commented, holding out his hand to the triton. “Come. There are people I want you to know!”

Magnus left Alexander to take him, he tripped a little after all, there were a few days he used those things instead of his tail. In the way he answered all Alec’s questions, the principal was about why he took so long and had to confess he got scared with the amount of Alec’s kind in the beach. Humans weren’t supposed to know of mermaids and triton’s existence… not more than they knew, stories.

However, he had some friends that came from the same world as him, Ragnor and Catarina, that left the waters to live in the human world.

He never understood why, not till he found Alexander, not till that first Christmas.

The Lightwood family was surprised when Alec presented him, but seemed happy with something he couldn’t explain… but… they were welcoming, more than his father one day was.

He drank. He ate. He sang funny songs they taught him. He kissed Captain Lightwood when he realised the human’s smile was beautiful.

Alexander retributed the kiss and for a moment he allowed himself to be content by all factors that took the Idris’s Ship sank… all the small steps, since Jace called him, the storm and his almost sacrifice.

All the little steps were worthed if they ended up meeting Magnus.


End file.
